Improvement in slate roofs



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ELLIS ELLIOTT, OF ST.DENIS, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN SLATE ROCFS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,716, dated October 6, 1874; application led 4 August 29, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ELLIS EL- LIOTT, of St. Denis, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved Ventilating Slate-Slab Roof; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of the roof and side of a house constructed according to my invention, Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same with a portion of roof broken away, showing the construction; Fig. 3, detail view of the slabs and relative arrangement of the same.

This invention relates to a new and improved method of roofing; and consists in the use of slabs of slate, instead of ordinary tiles, having chamfered edges, and joined together in seams at right angles tothe ridgepole by means of a cement, and supporting each other by means of grooves in their upper ends running parallel to said ridge-pole. Said slabs are screwed to up-and-down pieces resting upon a felt or other water-proof sheathing, and which divide the space between the slabs and said sheathing into two compartmentsone passing up the middle of the slabs, extending up and down the incline of the roof, and forming a ventilating-passage for the same, and the other fashioned into a trough, and passing up and down the roof just beneath the seams where the slabs join, to receive and conduct away any leakage that may result from the breaking ofthe cement.

In the drawing, A represents the slate slabs, whose dimensions are preferably about two feet b v three and a half inches thick. Said dimensions, however, may be-varied at pleasure to suit the style of work and the rim of the material. Said slabs have the chamfercd edges c, which, upon the sides, form a seam to be iilled with cement, and have also upon their ends a groove, b, which has a bed of felt andcement, upon which rests the lower end of the next succeeding slab. Said slabs are fastened by means ofthe screwholes c to the up-and-down pieces B, and the pieces B securely fastened to a surface, C, which consists of a sheathing of boards fastslate having an undercut sideor groove,

which incloses the upper sides of the longitudinal slabs H, and having also screw-holes, by means of which it is fastened to the ridgepole I.

By means of this construction of parts, the arrangement and adaptation of the same, is

constructed a roof which is far more substantial and durable than any other, and which does not leak, nor communicate its heat to the rooms below.

By reason of its neatness of design, also,

it is especially adapted to large public buildings, as also to buildings of ordinary size, and may be used with great effect as to nish upon the side work, as well as upon the roofs.

l propose to construct the roof either with or without the fancy ridge, and, to increase the ornamentation, may use with the latter any kind of fancy crest-Work.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The construction of the slabs A, having the chainfered edges a, the grooved end b, and screw-holes c, the said slabs being in dimension two feet by three, and half an inch thick, more or less, all substantially as described, for the purpose of vforming a new method of applying slate roofing.

2. The combination of the slabs A, constructed, as described, with the up and down pieces B, the sheathing C, and the leakagetrough E, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

3. The combination of the planed undercut ridge Gr provided with screw-holes, with the longitudinal slabs H, the ridge-pole I, and the slabs A, all constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described.

W. E. ELLIOTT.

Witnesses:

SoLoN C. KEMoN, GHAs. A. PETTIT. 

